Who is Bosco Montejo
The new leader of Freshfields speaks exclusively to Iberian Lawyer a few days after his appointment as head of the firm in Spain
by julia gil
“This firm is my home.” This is what Bosco Montejo, recently appointed managing partner of Freshfields (link to the news) in Spain, says. And it is not a symbolic or polite phrase: it is the way in which he sums up almost two decades of career in the firm, since he joined in 2007 as a tax lawyer to lead a new stage for the firm in one of its strategic markets. “That my partners have chosen me for this position is an honor,” he explains. And he says this with the conviction of someone who knows every corner of the firm, its culture, its recent history and, above all, its future challenges.
A LAWYER BY BACKGROUND
With a degree in law and a diploma in business studies from the University of Deusto, he completed his training with a master’s degree in tax consultancy from the Centro de Estudios Financieros. Bosco Montejo always felt a special affinity for the technical and structural field of taxation, and this vocation was strengthened when he arrived at Freshfields. He had the opportunity to experience, from the inside, the moment when the firm was still an emerging player in the Spanish legal market. “Gas Natural’s takeover bid for Endesa was the definitive irruption of international law firms in the Spanish legal market, which until then had a less dominant role in favor of the large local firms. Since then, we have only grown in Spain,” he says.
Over time, in 2015, he was appointed counsel and in 2019, international partner of the firm, although he never had a marked career plan. “At the beginning, I didn’t think about becoming a partner, but rather about learning as much as possible and training as a lawyer, surrounded by people I deeply admired,” he adds. Among those people, one figure stands out in particular: Silvia Paternain, a former partner in the tax area, with whom he co-led the department. “She has been a key mentor for me, present in the most difficult moments and fundamental in my development. I would not be the lawyer I am without her influence and, of course, having become managing partner has a lot to do with everything I learned from her,” he acknowledges with emotion.
From that point, he has advised on some of the firm’s most important transactions: mergers and acquisitions, private equity investments, real estate transactions, corporate reorganizations and structured finance. He has also accompanied credit institutions and funds in regulatory capital and balance sheet management issues. Always from a vision that combines technical rigor with proximity to the client.
A NEW PHASE
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